Description
Principles of climate mitigation in environmental ethics often draw on either considerations of fairness and forward-looking concerns, or on justice and backward-looking concerns. That is, according to some theorists, considerations of the current distribution of climate benefits and burdens are foremost, while others take repairing historic wrongs as paramount. Some theorists integrate considerations of fairness and justice to formulate hybrid climate principles. Such an integrative approach is promising particularly in the context of environmental harm to indigenous subsistence peoples, who are among those suffering the most from climate change. I argue that existing integrative climate principles tend not to sufficiently emphasize considerations of backward-looking justice. This is a problem for indigenous peoples seeking reparations for environmental harm and violations of their human rights. Specifically, indigenous people in the Arctic suffer a cultural harm from climate change as they lose their land, and their way of life, to erosion, cementing their status as climate refugees. I argue that the current climate situation facing Native Arctic people is unfair according to Rawls' second principle of justice. In addition, the situation is unjust as indigenous people suffer from emissions by others and few attempts are made for reparations. Thus, Rawlsian fairness combined with reparative justice provide a befitting theoretical framework. I conclude that an acceptable climate principle will adequately integrate considerations of both fairness and justice, both forward-looking and backward-looking considerations.
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Details
Title
- Integrating justice and fairness as a resolution to indigenous environmental harm
Contributors
- Sweetland, Lauren (Author)
- Brake, Elizabeth (Thesis advisor)
- Tsosie, Rebecca (Committee member)
- Portmore, Douglas (Committee member)
- Arizona State University (Publisher)
Date Created
The date the item was original created (prior to any relationship with the ASU Digital Repositories.)
2014
Subjects
- philosophy
- environmental justice
- Native American Studies
- Backward looking principles
- Cultural harm
- Forward looking principles
- Inuit
- Rawls
- Reparative justice
- Yupik Eskimos--Reparations--Alaska.
- Yupik Eskimos
- Yupik Eskimos--Legal status, laws, etc.--Alaska.
- Yupik Eskimos
- Climatic changes--Law and legislation--Alaska.
- Climatic changes
Resource Type
Collections this item is in
Note
- thesisPartial requirement for: M.A., Arizona State University, 2014
- bibliographyIncludes bibliographical references (p. 68-73)
- Field of study: Philosophy
Citation and reuse
Statement of Responsibility
by Lauren Sweetland